Brendon McCullum outlines the way forward for England Test cricket
McCullum was announced as England's Test head coach on 12 May but it was only yesterday – Friday, 27 May – that he was officially unveiled at The Lord's.
The role offers the former Blackcaps skipper a whole new dimension to explore as he moves away from coaching in white-ball cricket to taking up the reins in Tests.
McCullum has a wealth of experience in T20 cricket as a coach, having worked with India Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) outfit Trinbago Knight Riders. He even guided TKR to their fourth CPL title in 2020.
The stint with England will be his first with an international team as well as the first in the longest format of the game. But the lack of experience doesn't faze him.
"I don't think it's really that much of an issue, I guess we'll find out in time," he told Sky Sports. "I'm confident in the skills that I've got, confident in the group that we have to start things off."
"Obviously it'll take me a little while to become completely adjusted to some of the methods and the ways over here, and might take some time for guys to adjust to me as well. But I'm looking forward to it. It's a big risk taken by everyone but you don't get anywhere unless you're prepared to take a couple of risks in life."
England has endured a tumultuous time recently in the longer format, winning just one game in their last 17 attempts. This forced wholesale changes in the setup, with Rob Key appointed as the Managing Director of Cricket and Ben Stokes replacing Joe Root as the Test captain after the latter decided to step down.
The newly-appointed coach also gave a brief insight on how he intends to tackle the role with Stokes on his side.
"I certainly don't coach technically," McCullum said. "I understand the technique but for me it's more around tactics, man management and trying to provide the right environment for the team to go out there and be the best versions of themselves.
"With Stokesy as captain, we've got a very strong leader, a real follow-me type captain, and then my job will be to ensure that we're consistent with our messaging, we're able to look after the guys in the environment and try to allow them to really grow at a speed that they might not have got to previously."
[![GettyImages-474621640]()
Three biggest challenges Brendon McCullum faces as England Test coach
England News
13 May 22](/news/2616680)
McCullum was full of praise for the talent available in the red-ball cricket in England as well as the world-class players currently in the set-up and admitted it was one of the reasons why he decided to take up the role.
However, he admitted that some work needs to be put in before England can once again become a force to be reckoned with while also outlining his ambitions for his team.
"It's going to take time. To me, it's just trying to get some of these guys who have got an immense amount of talent playing to their potential, trying to play for one another and be a good representation of England, as well.
"Hopefully we're able to achieve some good stuff along the way. I think in time, certainly [to] get to No. 1, challenge for the Ashes would be nice, and be up there when you're talking the best Test teams in the world. But we've still got a long way to go before that."
McCullum's first assignment will be the three-match Test series against his home nation New Zealand, which will be played under the ICC World Test Championship banner. England currently are languishing at the bottom of the standings with a point percentage of just 12.5.
The Test series at home against the reigning WTC Champions will be a challenge for McCullum and Stokes but also an opportunity to test themselves against the very best in the game.